Organizational visions of virtual manufacturing: sociotechnical aspects of adopting technology computer-aided design based manufacturing process

This paper describes a virtual manufacturing system consisting of technology computer-aided design tools for semiconductor manufacturing companies. This virtual factory is shown to be very efficient for development of advanced process technology evaluation of process manufacturability, and improvement of existing fabrication processes. By using computer aids, the design and manufacturability of the target technology can be evaluated prior to actual silicon processing, and a company can establish a competitive edge in manufacturing. The technical limitations of computer-aided design tools and the managerial responsibilities in adopting a virtual manufacturing system for integrated circuits manufacturing are also discussed.